MP3 player device with large storage

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses an MP3 player with large storage. In the proposed MP3 player, a traditional MP3 player is located on a ducking station, wherein the ducking station is provided with a power supply. The traditional MP3 reads audio data from the ducking station through the interface between them, and then decodes the audio data and feeds them into an audio signal generator. The output of the audio signal generator is fed to an earphone or a speaker. When the MP3 player is programmed, the interface of the traditional MP3 player is locked and bypassed to the interface of the ducking station. Similarly, when the MP3 player plays, the output of the audio signal generator in the traditional MP3 player is locked, and bypassed to the earphone or the speaker of the ducking station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an MP3 player device, moreparticularly, to an MP3 player with large storage.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Developments of all assortments of audio players and storage foraudio data are progressing up date owing to the need of human kinds foraudio storing. Especially under the drive of the needs for audio devicesof the Internet and multimedia, efforts are further made to audioplayers and storage for audio data to make them with higher quality,higher stored capacity, and more convenient for use. The storage foraudio data and audio players in the market are in sequence a phonographdisk and a phonograph player, a magnetic recorded tape and a magneticrecorders, a compact disk (CD) and a CD-ROM, a digital versatile disk(DVD) and a DVD ROM, and flash ROM and an MP3 player.

[0005] Magnetic recorded tapes are not able to be sustained for a longtime, and are easy to be demagnetized by ultra-violet ray, plus theirsmall capacities and being sensitive to noise signals which make themagnetic recorded tapes gradually decline on the market. In a CD-ROM, alaser light incidents a compact disk and reflexes back to an opticalpickup head through the disk with audio data molded in. The reflexoptical signals and thus the audio signals are digital, and whichconsiderably make the signals themselves immune to noise, and therebyhigh audio quality is achieved. The disk is easy to conserve, with highcapacity, low in cost, immune to interference of noise; which make thestorage itself and the associated player extremely popular on the marketand cut the first edge.

[0006] An MP3 player is much easier to use for music listening. Theaudio data are specifically compressed and stored in a semiconductormemory, such as ROM, EPROM and flash ROM. Although an MP3 player issmall in dimension, easy to carry, the memory it uses costs very high ascompared to compact disks. Generally, the size of the memory used for anMP3 player is 16 MB, and which is corresponding to a 15-minute period oflength. To update the data in a small-sized memory for an MP3 player, acomputer is needed to do write or rewrite audio data to the MP3 player.To increase the capacity of a memory of an MP3 player, added-on cardscan be inserted into the player, but the cost needed is just sharplyrisen.

[0007] Consequently, a small-sized, light, capacious, easy-used, andlow-priced storing device for audio data and a player has become thegoal of the researchers' and users'. MP3 players have received widelypopularity since its open to the market. If the bottleneck for smallstoring space on MP3 players has a breakthrough, then MP3 players willbe provided with all advantages as mentioned above. For that reason, howto improve MP3 players has drawn much attention from the insiders andsymbolized the progress of audio processes in electronic industry.

SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In view of the shortcoming a conventional MP3 player suffers, thepresent invention suggests a combined MP3 player machine with a largememory that can be accessed by the controller of the MP3 player.

[0009] In this invention, compact disks (recordable compact disk,re-writable compact disk, hard disk) are utilized as the memory and aCD-ROM (CD-R, CD/RW, Hard disk, etc.) is positioned as the duckingstation of the MP3 player by use of combining the MP3 player and theCD-ROM. The CD-ROM is self-powered, and thus separated from a computer.The MP3 player is fabricated on the CD-ROM and can be independent anddetachable from the CD-ROM. When they connect together, audio data cantransmit to the MP3 player from the CD-ROM through the interface betweenthem; such as USB, EPP, SCSI, IDE, and the like; and capacious storageis well provided. When the combined machine is connected to a computerthrough an interface, the MP3 player can be programmed through the USB(RS232, EPP, SCSI, IDE, etc.) interface of the CD-ROM, since the USB(RS232, EPP, SCSI, IDE, etc.) port of the MP3 player is locked andbypassed to the USB (RS232, EPP, SCSI, IDE, etc.) port of the CD-ROM.When the combined machine plays, the audio signal of the MP3 to theearphone or speaker is locked and bypassed to the earphone or speaker ofthe CD-ROM. When the MP3 player is extracted from the combined machine,it can be a player itself. The consumer, the combined MP3 player with alarge memory, and the computer are well integrated, and the capaciousmemory for the MP3 player is perfectly achieved by bridging over the MP3player and the compact disks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, itwill now be disclosed in greater detail when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0011]FIG. 1 is the function block of the MP3 player of the prior art.

[0012]FIG. 2 is the function block of the combined machine according tothe present invention.

[0013]FIG. 3 is the left-sided elevated view of the profile of thecombined machine according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] To settle the limited memory issue on a conventional MP3 player,the present invention provides herein a large memory for the MP3 playerwithout needing high cost.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, which depicts a function block of the MP3player used in prior arts. The audio data storage 16 is typically fleshROM (ROM, or EPROM is allowed also), and with a size of 16 MB, which isunsatisfied for current use. With the use of an external memory card(not shown for simplicity), the cost may be very high and thus notpracticable. Furthermore, when updating new music or audio data for theMP3 player 10, a connection with a computer is needed. In the prior art,the computer can program the internal storage 16 through the interfaceport 30 to the computer interface 14 in the MP3 player 10. Since the MP3audio data is specifically compressed, the audio data fetched from thestorage 16 by the player controller 18 is fed into the MP3 decoder 20for decoding. The decoded audio data are then fed into the audio signalgenerator 22, and then outputted to the earphone or speaker 32.

[0016] In this invention, an MP3 ducking station is combined with theMP3 player in prior arts to obtain a combined machine (shown in FIG. 2)with a large memory. For the profile of the combined machine, see FIG.3. The ducking station 40 is located below the MP3 player 10, and theyjointly form a combined machine 50. The combined machine 50 is selfpowered or can be optionally powered by a computer when they areconnected. The ducking station 40 can be CD-ROM, CD-R, CD/RW or a harddisk, all of which are able to provide mass storage for the MP3 player10. A computer can program the MP3 player 10 through the USB (EPP, SCSI,IDE, or RS232, etc.) interface of the CD-ROM 40 since the USB (EPP,RS232, SCSI, or IDE, etc.) port 30 of the MP3 player 10 is locked andbypassed to the USB (EPP, SCSI, RS232, or IDE, etc.) port 44 of theCD-ROM 40 when the MP3 player 10 is placed on the CD-ROM 40 for use.Similarly, the signal generated from the audio signal generator 22 ofthe MP3 player 10 is locked and bypassed to the earphone or speaker 42of the CD-ROM 40 for the combined machine so that audio can be outputtedfrom the earphone or speaker 42 of the CD-ROM 40 since the CD-ROM isprovided with a higher power speaker. For the combined machine 50itself, the controller of the MP3 player 10 can read the audio datastored in the compact disk (now shown) through the interface (USB, IDE,SCSI, EPP, RS232, etc.) between them, which will be explained in moredetail, and thus obtain a large memory since the compact disk iscapacious and can be enlarged by use of a plurality of disks. The MP3 10itself is self-powered or powered by the ducking station 40 when theyare connected. The MP3 10 is optionally detachable from the combinedmachine 40 and work as a player.

[0017] Continuing back to FIG. 2, the player controller 18 can not onlyaddress the internal storage 16, but also the storage in the duckingstation 40. The controller 18 issues an address signal for read, theinternal storage 16 or the storage 48 in the sucking station 40addressed then transmits the audio data requested by the controller 18to the decoder 20, since the MP3 data is specifically compressed. Theaudio signal generator 22 is then charge of outputting audio through theearphone or speaker 32.

[0018] Continuing to FIG. 2, besides the strategy programming thestorage 16 of the MP3 player 10 through the USB port 30 from a computer,the computer can program the internal storage 16 of the MP3 player 10through the bypass 46, which is extended from the USB interface 30 ofthe MP3 10 to the interface 44 of the ducking station 40. With thebypass 46, programming from the computer to the internal storage 16 ofthe combined body is possible. Similarly, the audio signal to theearphone or speaker 42 of the ducking station 40 is obtained through thebypass 47 from the audio signal generator 22 in the MP3 player 10, sincethe CD-ROM has a higher power speaker.

[0019] Since the controller 18 can access the internal storage 16 andthe storage 48 in the ducking station 40, a large memory equipped MP3player is thus achieved, and a consumer, the combined MP3 player with alarge memory, and a computer is thus integrated together.

[0020] As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoingpreferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated of thepresent invention rather than limiting of the present invention. It isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangementsincluded within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scopeof which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and similar structure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An MP3 player with large storage, comprising: anMP3 player, said MP3 player is utilized to play audio; a duckingstation, said ducking station is provided with a memory, said memory iscoupled to said MP3 player through a first interface of said duckingstation for providing said MP3 player a memory device to play audio. 2.The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein said MP3 player comprises aliquid crystal display, a plurality of keys, at least a secondinterface, an electricity outlet, and an outlet for audio, wherein saidoutlet for audio comprises an outlet for at least an earphone and anoutlet for at least a speaker.
 3. The MP3 player according to claim 2,wherein said second interface comprises USB, SCSI, parallel port, serialport, and IDE interface.
 4. The MP3 player according to claim 1, whereinsaid ducking station comprises a CD-ROM, a CD/RW, a CD-R, and a harddisk.
 5. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein said duckingstation further comprises a power supply, an outlet for audio, whereinsaid outlet for audio comprises at least an outlet for an earphone andat least an outlet for a speaker.
 6. The MP3 player according to claim1, wherein said memory comprises a plurality of compact disks,recordable compact disks, rewritable disks, digital versatile disks andat least a hard disk.
 7. The MP3 player according to claim 1, whereinsaid first interface comprises a USB, a SCSI, a parallel port, a serialport, and an IDE interface.
 8. An MP3 player with large storage,comprising a ducking station, said ducking station is provided with amemory, said memory is coupled to a second interface of an MP3 playerthrough a first interface of said ducking station for providing said MP3player with a memory device to play audio.
 9. The MP3 player accordingto claim 8, wherein said MP3 player further comprises a liquid crystaldisplay, a plurality of keys, an electricity outlet, and an outlet foraudio, wherein said outlet for audio comprises an outlet for at least anearphone and an outlet for at least a speaker.
 10. The MP3 playeraccording to claim 8, wherein said first interface comprises a USB, aSCSI, a parallel port, a serial port, and an IDE interface.
 11. The MP3player according to claim 8, wherein said second interface comprises aUSB, a SCSI, a parallel port, a serial port, and an IDE interface. 12.The MP3 player according to claim 8, wherein said ducking stationcomprises a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD/RW, DVD and a hard disk.
 13. The MP3player according to claim 12, wherein said ducking station furthercomprises a power supply, an outlet for audio, wherein said outlet foraudio comprises an outlet for an earphone and an outlet for a speaker.14. The MP3 player according to claim 8, wherein said memory comprises aplurality of compact disks, re-writable compact disks, recordablecompact disks, digital versatile disks and a hard disk.